Part Twenty-Three
This time it's far too late
Buffy and Angel where the only people in the hidden library when Willow and Oz rushed in the following morning, it looked much more like a library now, the stacks of boxes had had their contents stacked on the walls, and the sheer quantity of those books was looking insurmountable. The pair didn't appear to be particularly interested in research though, Buffy was curled up in Angelus' lap in an armchair and both where staring into the red embers of the fire in front of them.
"Buffy?" Willow asked uncertainly, a hint of excitement obvious in her voice. "We've got something."
Shifting round to face them, Angelus met Willow's eyes. "On Kaitlyn?"
"No. On exorcising that pesky ole' fear demon."
Buffy shot up. "Getting rid of it?"
"Without damaging our bond?" Angelus added.
"Yes." Pulling the book out of her bag she showed him the page Oz had stumbled upon earlier.
Glancing over the text Angelus shot her a rare smile, which somehow seemed wicked and decadent even in his honest happiness. "Spike!" He yelled.
It was the next evening by the time they set up the spell, the builders had worked to finish the foyer first and then been kicked out until the next day. A huge six pointed star was painted across the foyer in thick white paint. One of the triangles that made up the star was dusted with a deep layer of black and red powders, the other, a fine sprinkling of grey ash. Candles were placed along each line of the ash triangle and a tall black candle sat at each tip of the other triangle in front of which Buffy, Willow and Angelus would sit. Spike and Faith had disappeared to get rid of any remaining vampires in the building, while Wesley and Giles where pouring over the details of the spell. Oz floated by the door, glancing out into the streets outside at regular intervals. Willow, Angel and Buffy hovered near the watchers.
"So, uhm, how'd the thing with your mom go?" Willow finally asked.
Buffy pulled a face. "Well, she's still in town, but she's spent the last two days with Doyle and Connor."
"Not wonderously then."
"No. But… she won't leave until she gets her way. Which could be worse than the fights." Fiddling distractedly with the hem of her shirt Buffy glanced around. "Are we sure this is going to work?"
"It's going to be fine Buffy." Angel reassured her, taking her hand in his. His other hand ran down the side of her face, and she leaned into his cool touch, kissing his knuckles as they grazed over her lips.
"It's just…" she shrugged. "I've got a major wiggins about this."
Willow laughed. "Trust me this spell will work, I've performed variations on it before, but they were never suitable where primal magic is involved."
"And this is?" Angel clarified.
Willow nodded, "perfect."
Spike finally stumbled in with Faith both looking fairly rumpled. Grinning Faith gave the all-clear sign as Buffy took in a deep breath and shifted her grip on Angelus' hand. "Ready to go?" Willow asked.
"Uhm…" Buffy glanced at Angelus' impassive face. "Yeah. I'm ready." Angelus' nodded his assent as well and Wesley, Giles and Faith each took a seat on the red and black triangle, while Spike moved over to join Oz by the door where they would be acting as security. The other three bystanders each held a slip of paper with the details of various safe guarding spells designed to protect the three caught in the link should anything go wrong.
Oz's twitch of nervousness was the calmest state anyone appeared to be in.
Pulling a grim face, Willow moved over to her black candle and took a seat behind it. The last to move, Buffy and Angelus shared a deep kiss before parting and each going to sit behind their own black candle.
"Ready." Wesley said quietly.
Drawing in a deep breath, Willow nodded. "I shall confront and expel all evil."
"I shall confront and expel all evil." Angel and Buffy echoed.
"Out of marrow and bone," the three chanted together, "out of house and home, never to come here again."
Taking the lighter in hand Willow lit the black candle in front of her, the flame was yellow but burnt almost black from the blood and honey wax the candle was made of. The flame flickered against the cold wind that had sprung up in the foyer and pushed past their bodies restlessly. "Spirit bind those intended, eject those who do not belong!" Willow yelled, anxiously trying to shield the wavering flame.
"Spirit bind and bend with twixt and 'scape the bodies to whom you don't belong!" Angel yelled over the noise.
"Never to come here again!" Buffy finished, hands flat on the stone in front of her to keep her position against the whipping wind that growled around them, moaning in their ears.
The wind stopped.
And the dark flame of each candle extinguished in the still air.
Willow glanced anxiously at Giles who just shrugged "Uh-" But her comment was cut off by her own anguished scream. Dropping to her hands and knees, Willow breathed deeply into the floor, as her skin writhed and buckled over her body she yelled out in agony with every movement.
At the next tip of the triangle Buffy panted heavily, her hands clasping at her chest as her skin rapidly tinged blue.
Angelus lay at the last corner, struggling to crawl toward his mate, as cuts and lesions sprung up all over his skin, while his face switched so fast between his vampiric and human forms each transformation was never quite complete.
Collapsing to her knees Buffy dry reached hopelessly as she crawled toward the centre of the star, meeting the point where the protective triangle crossed there she stopped and threw her head back, screaming once more, Angel and Willow echoed her movements at the other sides of the central hexagon. Collapsing forward, Buffy heaved once more, and a black hissing snake came forth from her lips.
In the background Buffy could hear a thousand screams as the three snakes that had poured from herself, Willow and Angelus met at the centre of the hexagon. Coiling together, Buffy watched helpless as the snakes flesh rippled and twisted and the three snakes became one that grew in size and magnitude until it's rattling head hovered higher than the balcony above them.
"The demon's taken corporal form!" Buffy dimly heard Giles yelling, and struggling to her feet she watched as the snake writhed above them, it's massive coils trapped in the hexagon in which it had formed as Wesley, Faith and Giles chanted desperately to keep it there. The snake's head bowed down to reach her level and red eyes, each as wide as her forearm, surveyed her imperiously as his forked tongue slid past long fangs to tickle the air inches from her stomach.
A sword clattered into her eyeline a few feet from her, and taking her eyes away from the demon for a moment she saw that Angel had been thrown his own sword and was slashing uselessly at the thick black snakeskin.
Rolling away from the snake to grab her own weapon, Buffy yelled out "Go for the eyes!" and began to climb the coiled body of the snake. Hearing a shout, Buffy looked back to see the snake had turned it's attention to Spike and Oz, who where desperately throwing knives and spears at the beasts head as it hovered in front of them. Huddled behind them, Doyle had wrapped himself around the tiny form of his son who was screaming hysterically.
For one irrational moment Buffy wondered at what point her brother and nephew had arrived, but then the body of the snake shifted beneath her and she had to clutch onto it's scales to steady herself. From her position, Buffy could see Willow on one side of the snake lying still on the ground her skin an ashen shade of white, on the other Angel was on his knees clutching a wound to his chest. "Guess it's just me," Buffy muttered wryly.
Struggling a little she managed to pull herself up to the top of the pile of snake body and raising her sword, she stabbed the snake viciously at the base of his 'neck' driving the sword through the flesh as thick black blood poured out from the wound. The snake hissed in anger, its head twisting to face her as she shifted her grip on the sword. She stabbed again this time through one of the demon's red eyes and staggered back as tar like blood poured from the punctured eye. The snake let out a high pitched whine it's coils shifting to throw themselves against the barriers of the hexagon in a desperate attempt to escape.
"I shall totally confront and expel all evil!" Buffy yelled as she raised the sword above her head and drove the blade home. The snake let out one last shudder of energy, throwing Buffy from it's back as it collapsed, finally falling out of the prison of the hexagon as it's head smacked to the ground close to where Faith was sitting.
Panting, Buffy winced as she tried to move, her ribs aching in protest at the fall. Seeing Angel's broken form a little way away from her, she crawled toward him and out of the sight of the others.
Angel was on his knees, half leaning against the still form of the snake, fresh sticky red blood, pooled on his shirt as he breathed deep unnecessary breaths. Throwing his head back, Buffy watched in shook as a white light spread through his body from tip to tip, pausing it's rapid journey only to bleach his yellow vampire eyes white, before billowing out of his mouth and disappearing.
Meeting Buffy's gaze, her shock was echoed in his soft chocolate brown eyes.
TBC…
Hee hee hee. Bet you weren't expecting that one. After the very small (glares at ppl who haven't reviewed) amount of feedback I got from the last part of this I want to be clear that the last part isn't the last you're going to see of Joyce, even though she's not in this part… she will return! Thanks for comments anyway, I've been thinking about how I could incorporate some of the ideas mentioned a bit later on in the fic.
Every bit of feedback I did get from the last part was greatly appreciated… but well, more please? Do I have to beg?
Weasy